The clever blend of historical data, culture, and family
dynamics paints a hard and realistic picture of a segregated Miami. The
storyline weaves between past and present as an aging father shares his
experiences with his newly divorced, middle-aged daughter.

Some subjects are hard to tackle and difficult to discuss.
In Still Missing Beulah, Joan Lipinsky Cochran does this well. By adding the
generation gap and how a bigoted man was able to raise a daughter who is the
polar opposite, give a reader an understanding of the cultural influences of
their respective eras'

The character Tootsie is bigoted, but not completely and
that opens an interesting premise to explore a dark side of humanity and yet
shine a light on the fact that boundaries are not always dictated by race or
creed.

I loved the way stories were preceded by a short account of
historical data. I was unaware of the turmoil in the 1980s and the extent of
anti-Semitism.

A most worthwhile read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joan Lipinsky Cochran is a former journalist who now focuses on writing crime-related novels that explore subcultures of American Judaism. Her first book, Still Missing Beulah: Stories of Jews and Blacks in Mid-Century Miami, explores the racism and anti-Semitism that tarnished Miami's past and informed the relationship between the two minority groups. Three of the short stories in that collection have won literary awards. She is currently working on a novel about a woman whose life is endangered when she discovers her father was a member of the Jewish mafia. It was one of three 2011 Claymore Award finalists and an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter-finalist. When she’s not working on a novel, Joan is testing recipes and writing food columns and articles, playing classical and Irish violin, sailing, bicycling and reading.
VISIT AUTHOR AT www.joanlipinskycochran.com

Thursday, February 22, 2018

London Spies is a book of historical fiction set in London, England at the end of World War II.

Phyllis Bowden, a secretary at the American Embassy, is catapulted into the limelight when the Military Attache, Lt. Col. Ronald Lawrence, is arrested for espionage and her boss, the Assistant Military Attache, assumes the position. The arrest throws suspicion on everyone at the Embassy, particularly Lawrence's secretary whose attempted suicide convinces Phyllis to be more curious about what really happened. With bombs still falling on a devastated city, Phyllis begins asking questions but she never imagined the dark underbelly of diplomacy. Entering a shadowy world filled with cryptic messages and dangerous men, Phyllis learns quickly that a safety net doesn't exist and if she wants to survive, she better figure out the game fast.

About the Author

SJ Slagle is a celebrated author of the Sherlock and Me series and the Phyllis Bowden series.

A teacher and nonfiction writer for part of her career, she taught in Florida, California and Nevada. She also writes western romances as Jeanne Harrell including these bestselling series: Rancher, the Westerners and These Nevada Boys with picturesque settings in the wild west of Nevada.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

FREE FROM Feb. 12th to the 19th 2018

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Available free of charge this week in honor of black history month.

It's the 1950s and Miami businessman Tootsie Plotnik counts his Bahamian mistress and his black business associates among his dearest friends. But he also refers to his African American employees using the derogatory Yiddish term, schvartz, and comes within inches of murdering an unarmed black teenager.

Still Missing Beulah uses linked short stories and brief historical accounts to take the reader into the heart and mind of an aging Jewish businessman whose prejudices are challenged by the black people who enter his life. Written in the same vein as The Help, this collection documents the struggles Miami minorities faced during an era when signs prohibiting Jews and blacks in hotels and clubs were as rampant as palm trees and mosquitoes.

About Me

Multicultural Florida Author.I believe that life is meant to be lived to the fullest , and I make it so. Multilingual; English, Spanish, French,and Swedish.
Adventuresome youth and filled with great memories, but no regrets.
Mother, wife, writer and Astrologer.